1. Field of Invention
The present disclosure relates to an actuator for an electric adjusting device of a vehicle seat with several adjusting functions, in which the actuator includes (a) a frame, (b) an electric drive motor disposed on the frame and having an output shaft and a pinion gear disposed on the output shaft, the electric drive motor being able to swivel between a first position and a second position, and (c) a first toothed wheel disposed on the frame and engaging with a pinion gear at the first position of the drive motor (d) a second toothed wheel disposed on the frame and engaging with the pinion gear at the second position of the electric drive motor; and an adjusting unit disposed on the frame, and selectively moving an actuating part and the drive motor between the first position and the second position.
2. Description of Related Art
In German U.M. Publication Appl. No. DE 87 16 669 U1 is known a vehicle seat with several adjusting functions that are set or adjusted with the aid of a motor. For example, the adjustment of a seat length, a seat height or inclination, a back rest, a seat depth, a head rest, etc is performed by the motor. According to the publication, an adjusting force is transferred from a single motor through a drive shaft to a switchable transfer gearbox. The transfer gearbox is provided with a switchable individual gear for each adjusting function. A drive torque of the motor may be transferred through the individual gear to an associated adjusting device. Here, a clockwise rotation, an anticlockwise rotation, and the engagement and disengagement of a clutch are controlled via the individual gear.
A vehicle seat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,025 A is configured so that three different seat adjusting functions are controlled independently and individually via only one electric drive motor. One of the three adjusting functions is selected via the switchable transfer gearbox and using a control switch that is not shown in the drawings. The motor can switch over in its own rotating direction, as a result of which the direction of a desired adjusting operation can be selected as intended by previously setting the rotating direction of the motor.
Generally, the vehicle seat uses an adjusting device having an individual motor for each adjusting function. However, such a situation has a drawback concerning a required number of motors. This drawback negatively affects a cost and a vehicle weight. If a plurality of drive motors is used simultaneously, the momentary consumption of power outputted from a vehicle battery may be considerably high.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.